Keeper Nikolai
by Winter Feline
Summary: New Keeper has awakened, and challenges await him in form of both heroes planning for his destruction and rivals aiming to elevate their own status by crushing him under their own heel. The young Keeper will need to learn how to survive, and to thrive. Rated M for safety reasons (future chapters).


_**Keeper Nikolai**_

_Chapter 1_

A/N: I don't own Dungeon Keeper.

"Talking" _'Thinking' "Mind Touch"__** "Keeper 'System'"**_

DKDKDK

"_Although the kingdoms of Light have fought the Minions of Darkness for as long as the recorded history reaches, there is very little that is known of the forces of darkness. The Keepers that lead them appear to be just as prone to waging cruel wars against one another as they are to attempting to invade the surface. Although many have been slain over the past centuries by a combination of luck, mighty heroes and cunning plans, their origin and numbers remain a mystery." _

_-Grand Librarian Alexandra, Circa 130 3rd era_

In the deep caverns a pulse of magic had been building up for days. Draining the mana from the land and beyond, its transformation was nearing completion. In the first two days a small chamber had hollowed out into the stone, and the formation of a dungeon heart had began. Forcing mana to adopt a true physical form required a strength of will that would have left most arch-mages a gibbering wreck, but for a true keeper such a feat was possible, albeit a painful experience at first.

As the newly-created Keeper awoke, his mind was immediately assaulted by a sensation best described as a major headache. Though he lacked a physical form, he was in pain and felt brief worry something had gone horribly wrong. Yet as he focused and sought to calm himself, he became aware of his surroundings.

He was presently within a square chamber with no apparent exits from it, with tiled floor and roof, as well as finely made stone bricks lining the walls. The chamber seemed to be held in an immaculate state, no green vines trying to grow amidst the tiles or cracks already forming somewhere. At the middle of the floor was a deep pool of water, and resting within it was a blue crystal shaped into an octahedron. Four of its eight facets rested underwater, and four emerged from the pool with their tips touching the bottom of the pool and the roof of the chamber, lodging it in place securely.

He instinctively knew his presence to this world was bound to this crystal. It was his dungeon heart, and he would have to protect it from harm when the time came. He knew what it was, and what he was. He was a Keeper, albeit a young one, freshly born out of mana and will. He was given shape, and a chance to wield the old magic. The rest would depend on his own resourcefulness.

_'I am alone in this chamber, but I am alive and I can feel mana gathering around me. I will need it to begin.'_ Casting a look around the chamber, the Keeper realized that there was no gold around him. _'I will need to find gold. It feels wrong to not have some gold at hand.'_ That part felt instinctive, but trying to figure out why he knew that was just another source of headache.

"_Welcome, Keeper, to your Heartlands. I am the Voice of Darkness, and I am here to offer you a few helpful hints. That's as much as anyone gets in this land for free, so be grateful you neonate whelp, and listen well. First, you must summon your first imps to do your bidding. Second, you must construct a couple of rooms. You will only know the basic ones, but you can work on acquiring more on your own time, later. Lastly, you must prepare to defend your claim with tooth and nail, or spell and spirit, probably sooner than you would like."_

The voice that spoke to him sounded annoyed, bored, and reluctant to give this speech, but the Keeper knew that it was better to listen than to snarl back at the perceived insult. Better to figure out what could be gained from this disrespectful voice for now, and leave its punishment for its insolence for later. He already knew that a Keeper that didn't get killed could exist for a very long time indeed. Immortal sounded good, but it was hard to estimate since no known Keeper had died of natural causes. Unless one counted being torn apart by a jealous rival as a natural cause for a Keeper.

"_You will have to learn to use mind touch to issue your orders silently, though some Keepers prefer to manifest a semi-physical presence in their realm, and use sign language such as slaps or dragging someone by their arm to where one wants them to be. Such delightful work-place cruelty. Now, in order to practice you will need to focus on **Spells**, and you will know what you can do. You can do the same with **Rooms**, **Traps**, and perhaps in time you will learn how to do other commands. Casting a spell is as easy as whispering the spellword and focusing where you want its effects to take place. Rooms require Gold to fuel the transformation, although it will also drain your mana quickly. Traps will require mana to place and restore at times, but will have to be manufactured. So you are short out of luck on that one, whelp!"_

There was a growl building up within him, but the Keeper told himself to reign in his temper. The advice was rude, but it helped him along somewhat, and clarified what he would have to do. Focusing his mind, he decided to give it a try. _'If this does not work right I will just have to take it out of that thing's hide later on.'_

"Spells!" His voice rang out in the chamber, his mind focused, but the words sounded out in a voice emanating from the crystal, rather than as a mental command. Regardless, he knew it was working, but he also heard the mental cackling of the voice as it seemed delighted to see him blurt the word out loud rather than reaching out mentally to do so.

"_**Keeper's Spellbook**_

_**Create Imp – Creates a magical worker**_

_**Sight of Darkness – Conjures a magical vision of chosen location**"_

_'That is helpful. Though I wish I had more spells at my disposal.' _Figuring it was time to put the lessons to use, the Keeper focused his mind on the Create Imp spell, and concentrated on it. The words came to him to be whispered, but he spoke nothing, rather focusing on them in his mind, and a moment later a splash of water made him pause.

Small, rough fingers grasped the edge of the pool and a somewhat plump imp dragged itself onto the floor besides the pool, panting for a moment before getting back up on its feet. It had dark brown skin, dark eyes, small stubby little horns at its forehead, and a simple belt around it to which was attached a large bag and a simple pickaxe.

"_Impressive, for a half-wit bag of puss wasting my time. You will need more workers than a single imp to get anywhere, but seeing as I am sure the effort to replicate your earlier success is likely going to fry your feeble little neonate mind I am going to continue. Now, consider what direction you wish to expand to from your chamber, and try and focus on the imp, giving it direct orders in your mind. When you order any of your imps, all of them will instinctively know. They are like small extensions of your will in this land. Like little boils in a disease-riddled dog." _

By now the Keeper was wondering if part of the test was to either shout and tell the damned voice to shut up, stop its insults and leave, or possibly to see if he had the will to reign in his temper and take it until he was strong enough to throw insults at others as well. He was going to listen for now, but vengeance would be his, eventually.

_'**Rooms**, I figure I ought to know what I can create, though I have no gold at hand so this seems unlikely to be of much use, at least yet.'_ Thinking things over, he was willing to follow the orders for now, and show he was not going to fall for such simple goading. Revenge was far better when the foe wasn't expecting it.

"_**Keeper's Rooms**_

_**Lair – Minions need somewhere to rest**_

_**Kitchen – Minions need to eat, occasionally at least**_

_**Treasury – Keepers need to have somewhere to store gold**"_

_'Interesting, although for now, I cannot create any of them, not without the gold to do so at least.' _Focusing on the Imp for a moment the Keeper could feel its excitement of the prospect of getting orders. He had a fair idea about his immediate surroundings through the connection with the land, and there was gold in the west, a little away but not terribly far. _"You will begin to dig a tunnel west from here, and once you reach a gold-seam you should begin to mine it and return to bring gold here."_

The little creature jumped excitedly in the air and rushed to the west wall, starting to hit the wall with the pickaxe. Grimacing briefly at the thought of how long it was going to take with a single imp to make that path with its pickaxe, he blinked as the mana he could feel coursing through the dirt and stone before the pick's swing each time. Of course, they were extensions of his will. So they had a natural affinity for their task, as in, the land itself helped them break through it faster.

The wall collapsed and vanished, revealing the first step into dirt-floored pathway, the imp's pickaxe starting to hack a path ahead a lot faster once it had made a breach into his chamber's hardened walls. _'Well, I will need more imps still.'_ He focused his mind on the Create Imp spell again, and feeling his mana reserves nearly deplete he heard two yelps and splashes, as two imps began to pull themselves out of the pool around his crystal.

"_Impressive, you repeat your earlier mistake and nearly drown two more of your imps. I imagine you'll make history as the first Keeper to have his own Imps stage a revolution against you. Ah well, you are well on your way and I can't stand the sight of your stumbling, I got three more Neonate Keepers to inform and you've made my day miserable already. Oh, just because I am required to inform you of this, you will want to claim a portal sooner or later so some poor worthless minions looking for a job might eventually stumble upon you and maybe protect you against the heroes from the land above."_

With that said, the presence of the voice faded away, leaving the Keeper to draw a deep breath and sigh in annoyance. Or that was how it sounded in the chamber, a sudden inhale with gale-force wind, before a chilling wind blowed outwards from the crystal along with the sighing voice, the surface of the water showing a thin ice layer for a moment afterwards.

_'Finally that rotten headache is gone. It did help, amidst insults, but that last bit of information might be worth remembering. Three others huh? I wonder if there's more of us, that thing did say 'neonate', so I imagine its dealt with some more experienced Keepers too. It won't save it from my vengeance when time comes though.'_

Deciding to focus on the things that required his attention for now, the Keeper's focus turned to the tunnel the trio of imps was now digging forth at a fast pace. The dark passage did not have any light in it, but he knew his imps could see perfectly fine through the darkness, and his connection with the land allowed him to feel what was there, although not as well as around his dungeon heart.

As the imps reached the gold vein their picks began to hack away at the precious ore in a fast pace, striking the wall, small bursts of mana from them and the land separating gold ore from the soil and stone alike. Hacking their path into the vein, the imps gathered what they had hacked loose so far and sprinted back towards his dungeon heart. As their hurried steps brought them right next to the pool they emptied the sacks of gold on the floor. Brief flash from the crystal had gold ore purified and reshaped into coins that were swiftly piled up against the walls of the chamber, their presence adding a feeling of comfort to the Keeper's mind.

_'Better than any pain-killers.' _Musing this to himself, the Keeper watched two of the imps dashing back towards the gold-seam to retrieve more, while the third paused at the dirt path just beyond the heart-chamber, and began to pour its mana to the ground beneath, the dirt vanishing to be replaced by floor tiles, and above the imp the roof gained similar tiles. The walls were smoother but were not tiled but simple dirt and stone as before. _'I suppose it takes a bit more time and effort to reinforce the walls. Ah well, they can do that after everything else is done.' _

The imps continued their work, and soon enough the dungeon heart had a afair share of gold coins surrounding it, lining the walls of the chamber. The tunnel leading to the gold vein was lit by dim eerie blue light from the roof every few steps, giving it a shadowy illumination that would suffice. It also helped secure the flow of mana from the land, each part so claimed seeming to push his awareness of the land a little bit further yet.

_'Well its time to start preparations then.' _The thought of setting up a few rooms and acquiring some minions felt the most logical next step. After all, gathering all the gold he had would not help him if heroes came and caught him hoarding wealth without anyone or anything to defend it. He wasn't going to trust his existence to just imps. As loyal as they would be, he doubted that imps would be enough after a while.

Focusing his mind on his spells and feeling the amount of mana now returned to him, he could tell he could bring forth two more imps, but the more imps he had the slower the mana returned, but the more territory he controlled the more mana he could pull from the land. Whispering the spellwords in his mind, he felt the two new imps become corporeal, this time a bit away from the pool near his dungeon heart, avoiding the earlier splashes. With his new imps looking around curiously and ready to dash off to join the others that were still hammering away at the gold vein, the Keeper directed his attention to these newly created imps.

"_I need you to dig a new chamber south from the heart-chamber, as wide as this chamber, but three times as long. Dig it out, and claim it." _Leaving the two imps to their work, he could feel which areas of the land were now 'marked' to be dug open in his domain. He wondered if he could use that same connection to designate areas without always ordering it like he had been doing, simply marking it up. Something he would look into shortly. Focusing his mind, he sought for a feeling of a portal somewhere in this land, feeling relief when he found it, somewhere further to the east.

Turning his attention to the three imps digging at the gold seam, he focused his mind on the lay of the land, and felt his still-standing order to dig out all the gold nearby. He sought to remove that command for now, and watched as his imps paused to look around a bit confused, before two of them charged back towards the dungeon heart to join the two new imps in creating the new chamber there. The last one jumped back where the tunnel ended, and started to claim the ground unearthed while digging out the gold from this area, pouring its mana to the land and claiming it to its Keeper.

Satisfied to find the commands could be directed that way, the Keeper's attention focused on watching the imps digging out the new area south of his heart chamber. That would serve as a secure vault for his gold, and allow him to keep better watch of his riches in the future hopefully. Nevertheless, as he waited a while the imps had the area dug out, and hastily began to claim the territory just as he directed a new path towards the east from his dungeon heart, leading it as far as he could before twisting it at the end to lead a little way north to reach the portal there.

Watching the imps instinctively know what he wanted done, he amusedly saw three of the imps begin hammering their way east in a swift pace, just as a fourth one followed a bit behind, claiming the path behind them, the fifth one having rushed to the western pathway seeming intent to start reinforcing the walls there before the Keeper's attention focused on that imp. _"I got some more work for you. I need two new chambers to the east of my heart, you will dig one to the north of the passage, and one to the south."_

Feeling the excitement the imps felt at getting their assignments he watched as the imps all got to work, just as he focused his own attention at the now dug-out and claimed treasury. _'**Rooms**. I need to build a **Treasury **here.'_ He felt the patterns in his mind and quietly focused on that pattern and laid it down over the southern chamber, watching as a large amount of the freshly dug-out gold seemed to vanish and in exchange the simple tiled floor of the treasury took on a more regal look, with white marble floor and the wall separating the treasury from his dungeon heart showing pillars along the wall, with a the chamber more clearly lit. The earthen walls that had not yet been reinforced did not change in any fashion, at least yet, but he had a feel they would carry the theme of pillars and marble as well.

His heart-chamber had a fair share of gold scattered about, but he had a feeling that wealth would vanish quickly when he got around to setting up more rooms, and the thought of paying his minions did raise a question of where he would get the necessary gold for all of it, in the long run. For now, he would have the gold-seam to work with, but that wouldn't last forever. Nevertheless, as soon as he saw the path to the portal was open, two of the three imps rushed back to help dig out and claim the two new rooms he was planning to build.

The portal chamber caught his interest, a domed chamber with pillars forming a large archway at the middle of a summoning circle. Watching it with amusement as he saw the imp there finish claiming the chamber, he could see the mana rushing to the portal, grasping the archway and illuminating blue runes along its form. Slowly, a rippling blue portal appeared in the archway, a gateway to allow travelers from the depths to enter his realm.

_'The runes in the gate only allow passage for those who are willing to serve me, as the passage requires my permission. Interesting.' _Humming silently, he was met with a brief feel of excitement as the imps had finished claiming the ground in the two new chambers. Focusing his mind on the task, the Keeper quickly drew forth the patterns required to create the two required rooms. A lair and a kitchen to allow his minions to rest and eat.

His gold reserves diminished swiftly as he saw the two new rooms appear, with the northern lair showing black stone tiles to it and the chamber's walls black tiles, a dim light giving the place some illumination. The imps were swiftly reinforcing the walls of the room, and he decided to allow them to do so for now, then it would be time for them to return to work at the gold-seam.

The kitchen was a bit more peculiar to him. Wooden tables and a bar counter, and a cauldron as well as a cask along the back wall behind the counter. He instinctively knew an imp could create what would be needed by his minions to eat, a bit of mana that the imps would channel to such affairs. He was a bit amused by it, but decided to not worry about it that much.

Just then he could feel a presence at the gate. _'So soon?'_ He wondered briefly, before recognising the figure he could see through the gateway. Green-skin, sharp pointed ears, and short figure. This was a goblin. _'Not exactly what I had hoped for, but everyone has to start somewhere.'_ He silently gave his permission, and the goblin stepped to the portal at the other side, and a moment later stepped out from the portal at his dungeon. Drawing a few quick breaths, the goblin hurriedly hurried towards where the dungeon heart was pulsing with power.

"I come to serve, Keeper. I am Rashok, a goblin warrior, and I will spill blood for gold." The introduction before the blue crystal was brief and to the point, as the Goblin kneeled and made its statement looking up at the dungeon heart seriously. _'Straight to the point and all business. Not a bad way to act, I am definitely not looking for someone to grovel at my feet to make me feel more powerful. Such a servant hardly strikes me as dependable one. This one might prove better than I might have judged it for its race alone. Shows me I have a lot to learn.'_

The Keeper's focus came upon the goblin, as his voice echoed in the chamber, watching the goblin closely. "Step forth and drink some of the water around my heart. Serve me well and you will be rewarded with gold." Watching the goblin quietly, he witnessed the short green man sipping onto the waters in the pool and the rush of mana pouring through the goblin, a blue mark in the shape of his crystal appearing in the goblin's left shoulder.

"Claim yourself a place in the lair, after that, you have some time to get settled in. Keep yourself ready for combat in case some arrogant heroes decide to pay a visit to my dungeon." His voice echoed in the chamber seriously, as the goblin bowed its head before speaking a bit hesitantly. "My Keeper, would you grace your servant with your name now that I carry your mark?"

There was a brief pause as the Keeper considered the question, but then answered seriously. "Nikolai. I am Keeper Nikolai."

DKDKDK

I have considered writing about Dungeon Keeper for a long time, but it has always managed to slip by and I have felt the difficulty of starting such a tale has been too much. Having considered a bit of a loose idea for a while I was trying to write a one-shot start, but ended up reconsidering, and writing more to it.

This is a start, I am considering the tale mainly from the perspective of Keeper Nikolai but also considering the possibility of a few rival Keepers (for example, the other 3 neonates mentioned already) to interact with, in time.

I also got some ideas in mind, this will not be a 'pure classic Dungeon Keeper' tale as such, I am not going to write a carbon-copy of each room, each creature, and how things mix and mingle. I love the concept of Dungeon Keeper, but try and bring forth my ideas in the tale, and it will show.

I may keep this in just 1 Keeper's perspective, or might expand this to a few other perspectives for brief periods at a time, but I am also considering simply having the Sight of Darkness giving such 'visions' to give some idea of what others are upto.

On the name of the tale, I am fairly horrible at coming up with good story / chapter names, so I decided to go with a simple one in this case anyhow.


End file.
